EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER (9-1-1) ADMINISTRATOR



EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER (9-1-1) ADMINISTRATOR

Salary

$112,673.60 - $219,585.60 Annually

Location

Arlington *METRO-accessible*, VA

Job Type

Full-Time Permanent (OS)

Remote Employment

Flexible/Hybrid

Job Number

0560-22A-CEM-EM

Department

Public Safety Communications & Emergency Management

Division

OEM Public Safety Communications & Emergency Mgmt

Opening Date

05/04/2022

Closing Date

5/26/2022 11:59 PM Eastern

Position Information

The Arlington County, Virginia, Emergency Communications Center (ECC) within the Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management (DPSCEM), is seeking an energetic, visionary, and experienced senior level public safety manager for the position of ECC Administrator. This seasoned professional will bring proven organizational and leadership skills, along with a passion for public service to lead an innovative and state of the art Emergency Communications Center while linking functional strategy and operational vision with the larger organizational strategy and vision. The Arlington County ECC is an NextGen-9-1-1 primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) fully migrated to the ESInet.

The ECC Administrator manages the Public Safety Emergency Communications Center, a center which receives 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatches public safety resources to the community. The ECC is a 24-hour operation with a staff of approximately 60 personnel, responding to an estimated 75,000 9-1-1 calls and 172,000 non-emergency calls annually and an operating budget of over $11 million. The ECC Administrator takes the lead role in developing and implementing strategic operating policy/procedure development; performs statistical and qualitative analyses; contributes to annual budget preparation; and identifies innovations and advancements in technology and communications systems including Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and remote call-taking/dispatch.

The Arlington County ECC has been recognized as a leader in providing critical emergency communications services through innovative measures, most recently receiving a Virginia Association of Counties award for its pioneering work in deploying remote call-taking, remote fire/Emergency Medical Service (EMS) dispatch, remote supervision, and remote on-the-job training (CTO) from employees’ homes. The ECC has utilized innovative hiring process techniques to obtain and maintain at or near 100% ECT staffing levels since September 2021.

For more information on Arlington's Emergency Communications Center please visit ECC.

Responsibilities of this leadership position include:

  • Oversight and supervision of the Arlington County Public Safety ECC, a 24/7 9-1-1 operation center; 
  • Building and sustaining an operational culture that empowers, enables, encourages, and educates staff to succeed in a public safety emergency communications environment;
  • Interpreting state, and county laws and regulations affecting departmental operations;
  • Applying principles, practices, and methods of human resource management, budgeting, program planning, and administration when providing administrative oversight of operations;
  • Collaborating with Police, Fire and Rescue, and EMS operations to provide full services to the community; and
  • Maintaining effective working relationships with County officials, colleagues, employees, community and business organizations, the media, and the general public.
The ECC Administrator is a non-uniformed position reporting directly to the Director of DPSCEM. The ECC is strategically supported by the Public Safety Cluster leadership, including the DPSCEM Director, Police Chief, & the Fire Chief.

Selection Criteria

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Safety Administration, Emergency Management, Criminal Justice or a related field; and
  • Progressively responsible senior management experience in public safety administration and operations (e.g. Director/Administrator/Chief, Assistant/Deputy Director or equivalent).
Desirable Qualifications: Preference may be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following:
  • Certification in one or more of the following: Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE), APCO Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL), National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP), NENA Emergency Number Professional (ENP), or other equivalent certification in public safety communications leadership;
  • Experience working in a labor union environment including demonstrated collaboration and interaction with structured unions;
  • Proven expertise in the application of congressional mandates and local, regional, state, and federal rules and regulations that govern 9-1-1 public safety communications services;
  • A Masters Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Safety Administration, Emergency Management, Criminal Justice, or other applicable discipline; and/or
  • Certification in Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Institute Incident Command Systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 700 and 800 completed within one-year of hire.
Substitution:  Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Special Requirements

The selection process will also include a background investigation.

An online application is required.
 
A complete application includes a resume and letter of interest which describes in complete detail your leadership experience in the following:

  • Public Safety Operations 
  • 9-1-1 Communications
  • Working in a local government or similar environment
  • Collaborating with community and government stakeholders
  • Working in a union environment
COVID – 19: Arlington County Government is committed to the health, safety and wellness for all staff.  In support of that commitment, all current and newly hired employees are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. For those qualified employees with a disability or sincerely held religious belief which prohibits them from receiving a vaccine, you will be able to contact the Office of Human Rights to request a reasonable accommodation. Adherence to this policy is a condition of employment.

Additional Information

Work Hours: The ECC operates 24 hours a day, so flexibility in hours worked is imperative. Work could be expected to be performed during times of high levels of stress during emergency and/or incidents. Position has the option of telework when schedule and workload permit.

Starting salary will depend upon the qualifications and experience of the candidate selected and is negotiable. This position is in the Arlington County Government's Senior Management Accountability Program (SMAP), in which Senior Program Managers are evaluated and compensated based on a performance agreement linked to the County’s Management plan, and results achieved, among other criteria.

For more information on Arlington's family friendly benefits, please visit ACG Benefits.

Completion of the Commonwealth of Virginia Statement of Economic Interest form will be required of the successful candidate upon hire.

Applicants who have questions or need assistance with the application may telephone (703) 228-3500 or visit the Human Resources Department. Our staff will be happy to work with you to enter your application into the system. Public access computers are available at all County Libraries, and in the Human Resources Department.

The examination process for this position may include: (1) training and experience evaluation; (2) written and oral examination; (3) personal interview; (4) performance test/work sample; and/or (5) physical examination.

Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process. Please call the ADA Coordinator at 703-228-3559 (voice) or email pers@arlingtonva.us.

Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled.

Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: www.arlingtonva.us/pers.


Permanent, Full-Time Appointments
All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available:

Paid Leave: Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year.

Health and Dental Insurance: Three group health insurance plans are offered - a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs.

Life Insurance: A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee's age and smoker/non-smoker status.

Retirement: The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement:  a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457).  The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County.  You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan.  General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan. 

For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan.  The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit.  New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay.

Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits.


Permanent, Part-Time Appointments:
Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week.


Limited Term Appointments:
Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status.


Temporary Regular Appointments:
Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above.  They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays. 

Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments: 
Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements.

01
Please provide the following:
  • Highest level of education:
  • Degree area of focus:
  • Years of senior management experience (e.g., Director/Administrator/Chief, Assistant/Deputy Director or equivalent) in public safety administration and operations experience:
    02
    Please check all certifications from the list below which you have earned.
    • Emergency Number Professional (ENP)
    • Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL)
    • Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE)
    • Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP)
    • Other
    • None of the above
    03
    A complete application includes a resume and letter of interest which describes in complete detail your leadership experience in the following:
    • Public Safety Operations
    • 9-1-1 Communications
    • Working in a local government or similar environment
    • Collaborating with community and government stakeholders
    • Working in a union environment
    I acknowledge that I have attached both documents
    • Yes
    • No

    Required Question

    Agency
    Arlington County
    Address
    2100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 511

    Arlington, Virginia, 22201
    Phone
    703-228-3500